Frances May is a directional boutique built from a community of independent designers and artists, providing a curated selection of apparel, home goods, and more to the West End neighborhood of Portland, Oregon.
With family and community at its core, the shop was named in honor of Connie’s mother, Frances May, who was a school teacher. When Pamela began to expand the shop in its early days, she partnered with us to create a holistic brand, inspired by her great grandmother. We built the brand around the nostalgia of classic school supplies—typography from old flashcards, stickers of approval, and library book slips to give the brand the feeling of a vintage classroom.
Over a decade later, we worked with Pamela to elevate and refresh the Frances May brand and packaging system in a way that matched the company’s growth and evolution. The updated identity reinforces the idea that fashion should be a celebration. It combines a bold, nuanced logotype with a refined custom font—updating and elevating the logo while keeping its original spirit and inspiration—as well as adding a secondary “yes” mark that speaks to the joy of finding your next favorite outfit.
We underpinned the brand marks with a neutral color palette that allows the seasonal colors, patterns, and prints in their shop to shine. And an oversized grid pattern, while a nod to classic scholastic graph paper, becomes a fashion statement in its scale and application. To update Frances May’s packaging, we leveraged our refreshed visual elements to create a functional system that packs an iconic punch. The packaging system is a balance between graphic, energetic elements and elevated, artful brand moments.
After a move to a new location, we designed bespoke exterior signage and a comprehensive set of wayfinding to adorn the interiors of their new downtown Portland home.
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Frances May is a directional boutique built from a community of independent designers and artists, providing a curated selection of apparel, home goods, and more to the West End neighborhood of Portland, Oregon.
With family and community at its core, the shop was named in honor of Connie’s mother, Frances May, who was a school teacher. When Pamela began to expand the shop in its early days, she partnered with us to create a holistic brand, inspired by her great grandmother. We built the brand around the nostalgia of classic school supplies—typography from old flashcards, stickers of approval, and library book slips to give the brand the feeling of a vintage classroom.
Over a decade later, we worked with Pamela to elevate and refresh the Frances May brand and packaging system in a way that matched the company’s growth and evolution. The updated identity reinforces the idea that fashion should be a celebration. It combines a bold, nuanced logotype with a refined custom font—updating and elevating the logo while keeping its original spirit and inspiration—as well as adding a secondary “yes” mark that speaks to the joy of finding your next favorite outfit.
We underpinned the brand marks with a neutral color palette that allows the seasonal colors, patterns, and prints in their shop to shine. And an oversized grid pattern, while a nod to classic scholastic graph paper, becomes a fashion statement in its scale and application. To update Frances May’s packaging, we leveraged our refreshed visual elements to create a functional system that packs an iconic punch. The packaging system is a balance between graphic, energetic elements and elevated, artful brand moments.
After a move to a new location, we designed bespoke exterior signage and a comprehensive set of wayfinding to adorn the interiors of their new downtown Portland home.
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